Newspaper-vending machine.



W. A. SGHENGK.

NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED D110. 6, 1907.

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PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908;

W. A. SGHENOK. NEWSPAPER VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1907.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2,

Win19:

amazing WILKENS A. SOHENGK, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

NEWSPAPER-VENDINGLMACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed December 5 1907. Serial No. 405,225.

Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Newspaper- Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a vending machine for dispensing newspapers, eriodicals and the like which is intende to be used in public places where anyone by depositing a suitable coin into a machine can receive a copy of a newspaper, periodical, or other article.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of apparatus of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, thoroughly reliable and eflicient in use, of durable design, and proof against tampering with.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a vending machine having a compartment which is divided by a plurality of partitions into pockets for the individual newspapers, periodicals or other articles from which the latter can be discharged singly by a suitable coin-controlled mecharnsm.

Another object of the invention is the employment of a keeper arranged to hold the newspapers in the pockets and adapted to have astep by step movement so as to be moved from under the newspapers to permit the latter to be discharged one at a time.

A still further object is the employment of a simple and efiective mechanism for controlling the delivery of the newspapers from the machine.

WVith these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto. 7

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vending machine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken immediately below the cover of the casing. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 2, showing parts in elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the keeper for holding the newspapers in their respective pockets. Fi 6 is a perspective view of the coin-actuate device for moving the keeper. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the guide for the keeper. Fig. 8 is a view of the push-bar for actuating the keeper through the medium of a coin, a portion of the bar being shown in section and illustrating the means for holding coins of diflerent denominations. Fig. 9 is a front view of one of the racks or supports for the partition frames. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the partition frames.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the casing of the machine which may be of any approved shape and size and is preferably of rectangular horizontal cross-section and constructed of sheet metal. The front and rear walls 1 and 2 are curved inwardly toward each' other at their lower ends to form a discharge mouth 3, as shown in Fig. 4, and the end walls 4 are secured to the front and rear walls by corner stri s 5 of angle iron. Secured to the rear wall by hinges 6 is a cover 7 that has a marginal depending flange 8 for fitting outside the body of the casing so as to prevent rain from enterin the latter. At the front side of the wall 1 1s a compartment B for containing the operating mechanism,

this compartment being formed by the side plates 8 that are riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the front wall 1 of the casing and are provided with outwardly-extending flanges 9 for receiving the slidable front 10 which has its vertical edges bent into hookshaped flanges for engaging the flanges 9. By this construction, the front wall of the compartment B can be removed for permitting access to the operating mechanism. The bottom of the compartment B is formed by an inclined door 11 hinged at 12 and normally held closed by a lock 13, while the top of the compartment is closed by a forward extension 14 on the cover 7, which extension is formed with a depending flange to fit over the side and front walls of the compart-- ment. The cover 7 and front wall 10 are held in place by a single locking device consisting of a staple 15 on the cover 7 and a hasp 16 on the front wall 10, and passing through the staple is a padlock 17 The casing A is divided into a suitable number of pockets for containingthe individual articles to be dispensed, such as newspapers, periodicals, boxes and other articles. In the present instance, these pockets are provided by means of a plurality of parallel partitions 18 which, as shown in Fig. 10, are preferably triangular in form. Supported on the end walls of the casing are racks or supporting plates 19 that are provided with vertical slots 20 for receiving the ends of the partitions 18, the partitions removably resting in the slots. The slots are of varying depth so that their lower ends lie in an arc of a circle. The pockets thus formed are open at the top and bottom so that the articles can be readily inserted and discharged therefrom.

The mechanism for permitting the articles to be separately discharged from the pockets will now be described. Disposed under the pockets is a keeper 21 located centrally of the casing and adapted to have a step by step movement so as to move each time a distance equal to the width of a pocket for permitting the newspapers to be discharged one at a time. strip to conform with the bottom edges of the partitions 18 and it serves to retain the newspapers in the pockets. As shown in Fig. 5, the keeperhas a longitudinal slot 22 which receives the rib 23 of the arcuate guide 24, Fig. 7, the guide being in the form of a bracket having apertured lugs 25 for receiving rivets 26 to secure the guide to the front side of the front Wall 1 of the casing A, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The keeper passes through a slot 27 in the said front wall and on the guide 24 are spaced fastenings such as i headed screws 28 that removably retain the keeper in position, the said-screws being received in apertures 29 of the keeper (Fig. 7).

One edge of the keeper 21 is provided with ratchet teeth 30 with which engages a pawl 31 for moving the keeper step by step. The pawl 31 is mounted on the rear end of the horizontal arm 32 of a bell crank lever or detent 33, as shown in Fig. 6, the pawl extending laterally from the said arm and mounted to swing on the pivot 34. Depending from the pawl is a lug 35 arranged to engage one side of the arm 32 so as to maintain the pawl in a horizontal position or in cooperative relation with the teeth 30. In order to prevent the keeper from moving backwardly, a brake device is employed which consists of a helical spring 36 mounted on the upper screw 28 so as to yieldingly hold the keeper in frictional engagement with the guide 24. The detent 33 is designed to be actuated through the medium of a coin. For this purpose, a push member 37 is mounted in the compartment B with a portion thereof projecting through the slot 38 in the front Wall 10. The member 37 has a recess or coin-receiving pocket 38 which opens at the bottom of the member 37 so as to permit the coin to drop into the compartment B after the detent has been moved its full extent.

This keeper comprises an arcuate The coin-receiving pocket 38 has a ledge 39, as shown in Fig. 8, on which a coin such as a five-cent piece can be supported, as shown by the dott ed line 40, and when a coin is in posiion, it will be disposed in front of the depending arm 41 of the deIenL so lha; as the com is carried rearwardly by L he member 37 being pushed inwardly, 1 he deient will be "ilted on is pivot 42 for moving 1 he keeper a suflicient distance to permit a newspaper or o.her article to be discharged from i he machine. At some poin; in the movement of (he member 37, the coin will move downwardly off the ledge 39 and drop 1 hro ugh the open botlom 43 of (he pocket 38, and

i ively unseat the coin so ihat'i-L will drop out of the pocket in'o 2 he compariment B. In order to adapt the machine for penny papers, a pin 44 is applied to the member 37 in such a posiiion as to raise 5 he coin above the ledge so that i he coin will be in cooperalive relai ion wi h i he det en; it being understood that a penny coin is smaller than a five-cent piece. The member 37 has anupwardly extending arm 45 between which and the lug 49 on the brackel 24, is a compression spring 46 that holds the member 37 in normal position and returns the same aft er being pressed inwardly. a lug 47 which engages behind a stop 48 so as Lo limit Lhe outward movement of the said i member. p

In prac'ice, the newspapers or other ariicles are placed in i he separate pocke' s of the casing A, while i he keeper 21 is in its initial Depending from the member 37 is position wi h the rear end in contact with the rear wall of he casing. The cover 7 is then looked closed and the machine is ready for use. When it is desired to buy a paper, a coin is dropped into the pocket 38 of the push-member 37 and the coin rolls downwardly un ilit strikes the de. ent 33 and comes to rest on the ledge 39 or rest 44, as i he case may be. The member 37 is then pushed rearwardly so that the detent will be tilted and the member or keeper 21 moved by the pawl one step, thereby permitting the rearmost paper to drop out of its pocket and thence through the mouth 3 of the machine. Before the push-member 37 is returned by the spring 46, the coin drops through the bot tom of the pocket 38 so that the machine cannot be operated again until another coin is deposited.

From the foregoing description, taken in connect ion with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent t 0 those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention,

sider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing having a discharge opening, a plurality of open bottom pockets arranged withinthe casing above the opening thereof, a keeper disposed under the pockets to retain articles therein and provided with a longitue dinal slot, a stationary guide on which the keeper slidably bears, spaced members passing through the slot of the keeper and secured to the guide, a spring on one of the members for frictionally holding the keeper in contact with the guide, and a device for moving the keeper ste by step.

2. In a vending mac ine, the combination of a plurality of article-containing pockets open at their lower ends to permit the articles to drop out by gravity, a keeper extending across the pockets to retain the articles therein, a mechanism for moving the keeper forwardly to permit the articles to discharge one at a time, and a springpressing constantly on the keeper to prevent backward movement thereof.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing having article-containing pockets, a keeper forming the sole means for retaining the articles in the ockets, ratchet teeth on the keeper, a paw l engaging the teeth to move the keeper step by step, a gravity-re turned bell crank lever on which the pawl is pivotally mounted, means for operating the lever and a brake device for preventing backward movement of the keeper.

4. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing having article-containing pockets arranged with their open bottoms disposed in the arc of a circle, an arcuate keeper arranged to hold the articles in the pockets, means for guiding the keeper, means for actuating the keeper, and a brake device for preventing backward movement of the keeper.

5. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of article-containing pockets, a kee er mounted to hold the artic es in the pockets, a guide for the keeper, a yielding device for preventing movement of the keeper in one direction, ratchet teeth on the keeper, a pawl engaging the teeth, means on the pawl arranged to engage a portion of the detent to hold the pawl in cooperative relation with the said teeth, a pivoted detent on which the pawl is pivoted and movable bodily, and means for actuating the detent.

6. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of article-containing pockets, a keeper movably mounted under the pockets and provided with a longitudinal slot, a guide having a rib engaging in the slot, means for supporting the keeper wholly on the guide, and means for actuating the keeper.

7. In a vending machine, the combination of a casing having a slotted wall, means dividing the casing into article-containing pockets, a keeper of such length as to extend under all of the pockets and project through the slot of said wall, a guide secured to the wall and on which the keeper is slidably mounted, means supported on the guide for yieldingly holding the keeper in frictional engagement with the guide, and a device for moving the keeper step by step for permitting articles to discharge successively from the pockets.

8. In a vending machine, the combination of a wall having a slot, a plurality of article containing pockets on one side of the wall, a keeper movable in the slot and arranged to hold the articles in the pockets, a keeper guide disposed at the side of the wall opposite from the pockets, a brake device for preventing backward movement of the keeper on the guide, and a step by step mechanism for actuating the keeper.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILKENS A. SCI-IENCK.

Witnesses:

J. A. GIBSON, WM. B. DAWSON. 

